overwaxing?

[mrunexpected]

hi, im new. been lurking for a bit, and now ill try to jump in.





ive been told recently that overwaxing your car can damage the paint, or some such. i know that using a pol ish with cleaners or abrasives can eventualy wear paint, but wax? is that true? it seems a little far fetched.



anyone know whats up?

[david911]

Was it your wife that told you this?:rofl

[mrunexpected]

nah, it was a discussion on another board, and several people seemed to agree. searched google, and found some supporting info...



sounds like bs to me, but i plan on just washing my car every week or two and using EO wax-as-u-dry, after each time.

[Lowejackson]

In absolute terms a heavy polish could eventually remove all the paint but for normal detailing, this is not an issue.



As for wax, maybe decades of misuse by incorrectly applying a wax might damage the paint, but the wax itself would not cause any problems.

[Accumulator]

mrunexpected- Welcome to Autopia! Nah, waxing won`t wear away your paint. Not cleaner-waxes, not polishes with *mild* abrasives either.



Heh heh, I`ve been polishing and waxing my XJS for 19 years and I haven`t worn through the paint yet ;)



Most waxes/sealants are nonabrasive, so as long as you use a soft applicator and a soft towel to buff it off, you`ll be fine. Today`s basecoat/clear paint is pretty hard stuff.



It seems some people like to :nono just for the sake of appearing to know something that other people don`t :rolleyes: The folks who perpetuate this whole "overwaxing" thing have an agenda that has nothing to do with wax, paint, or detailing; it`s all about appearing to be an "expert" with esoteric knowledge. And as you suspected, it`s all BS ;)

[imported_Larry A]

If you use a straight wax and wax often you could get a wax buildup that will make paint look a little dull. If you wax every month or more , its a good idea to use a cleaner once or twice a year, or at the least use a cleaner-wax 2 or 3 times a year. The elements will attack the wax instead of the paint and I would think that you would want to take off that dirty old wax.

[MattZ28]

Originally posted by Accumulator

mrunexpected- Welcome to Autopia! Nah, waxing won`t wear away your paint. Not cleaner-waxes, not polishes with *mild* abrasives either.



Heh heh, I`ve been polishing and waxing my XJS for 19 years and I haven`t worn through the paint yet ;)



Most waxes/sealants are nonabrasive, so as long as you use a soft applicator and a soft towel to buff it off, you`ll be fine. Today`s basecoat/clear paint is pretty hard stuff.



It seems some people like to :nono just for the sake of appearing to know something that other people don`t :rolleyes: The folks who perpetuate this whole "overwaxing" thing have an agenda that has nothing to do with wax, paint, or detailing; it`s all about appearing to be an "expert" with esoteric knowledge. And as you suspected, it`s all BS ;)



My favorite is when my neighbors walk by and tell me I`m gonna wash the paint off my car if I keep washing it so much.



Yeah, right. Since they know what they`re talking about and everything....I laugh at them and continue doing what I`m doing.

[lbls1]

You can add as many layers as you see fit! Just bear in mind that your paint should be clean every time you add wax. You have to take care into properly buffing off previous layers of wax haze before putting on multiple coats of wax.



You shouldn`t put on too many coats of wax at one time either. Work your wax in layers of one or up to two per wax session, and you should do fine. You will have to eventually strip off the wax build-up and start over at a certain point, let`s say, at the beginning of a warm season, or if you live in a climate that doesn`t see severe winter weather or a lot of rain, at about 9 months after starting your build-up.